Fractal Film

Synopsis

The generative video installation Fractal Film proceeds to an exhaustion of the view on a given scene : an autonomous programmed camera explores and shows us the same scene indefinitely and always differently. Projected in large format, the short cinematographic scene plays, over and over. Although in a loop, it is never seen with the same angle, the same camera position, movement and behavior.

The scene, written and shot by Delphine Doukhan, is a short but complex drama with multiple plot levels, a wordless burlesque huis clos involving six characters during a reception. This very precisely choreographed scene was shot in very high definition (5K) at eight different angles. At exhibition time, a software-based camera, designed and written by Antoine Schmitt, navigates by zooming inside this source video material to explore and display of the scene in infinitely various ways. To do so, it follows written rules of movement, defined by the authors, and drawn from cinema language, from animal behavior, from mathematics and physics. Some of these rules explicitly leave freedom of movement to the camera, within certain limits. At each scene occurrence, the camera chooses one rule at random and follows it. The result is an infinitely variable way of looking at a given scene.

Fractal Film articulates the concepts of generative art with the language of cinema. It is a collaboration between video artist Delphine Doukhan and generative artist Antoine Schmitt.

Exhibition

Fractal Film is designed to be shown as a gallery video installation in a dark room on a large projection HD screen with quality sound, in a cinema-like atmosphere. The duration is infinite, the audience comes and leaves freely.

Biographies of the authors

Photographer and video artist, Delphine Doukhan begins her work with photos and films of women she knows in absurd narrative situations dealing with the notion of desire. Since then, she goes on exploring dissonance between physicality and inwardness, in larger contexts. Her work is exhibited internationally.Web site : www.reseaux-artistes.fr/dossiers/delphine-doukhan

Visual artist, Antoine Schmitt designs installations to question the processes of movement, in their formal, philosophical or social dimensions. His work is exhibited internationally and has received several awards (Ars Electronica, Transmediale).
Web site : www.antoineschmitt.com